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 This time around I had a few ideas of what to write about. And the one I landed on involves "Side Characters". Not to be confused with Supporting Characters, who are more involved with the main cast and overall story. So, why have I decided on something like this? Well, I thought it would be fun to talk about specific cases from varying genres. This also gives me a reason to talk about an unlikely candidate.  But to ease into the topic, I am going to use One Piece as a springboard. And the perfect character for this, is none other than Curly Dadan. The mountain bandit turned surrogate parent, is without a doubt one of the most slept on characters in the whole series. There's an argument for a more in-depth look at the character, but for now, I am going to focus on what makes her so great. ( Disclaimer : If it wasn't already apparent, spoilers for everything in this post.)  Prior to Dadan's physical debut in the Anime and Manga proper, she is casually mentioned by...

 I am conflicted. There are so many things that I want to talk about, but I can't really nail them all down. I want to talk about the heights of One Piece and Akane-banashi that ravish my emotional state. And I also want to talk about how other series like My Hero Academia and Jujutsu Kaisen are failing at it. Yet, I hate talking about the negatives of something. It just doesn't feel right to look at these things on the same level. However, I feel that it is important to combine my thoughts on these subjects and how they are all handling the extremely important junctures of their stories.  To kick it off, I want to speak on the current state of One Piece. To put it bluntly, One Piece is operating at an all-time high on Egghead. The formal introduction and background of Dr. Vegapunk has been a phenomenal ride. And it isn't even close to being over. I personally thought that this would be more like Zou. A small but effective arc that transitions the story into something bigge...

 Recently I saw a post on a show that I did not know existed. For a series that I had only just recently became aware of in name, but not in context. That show is the anime adaptation for Flowers of Evil by Shuzo Oshimi. The adaptation was animated by the studio Zexcs. Zexcs has a wide catalogue of Battle and School Life series, while also handling the Shadowverse franchise. There aren't any series aside from Shadowverse that are as notable as Flowers of Evil. Just looking at these other series, I can say that Flowers of Evil is unique and special among their works.  The story in Flowers of Evil revolves around Takao Kasuga and his relationship with Sawa Nakamura. While Takao is a typical nerd in middle school who loves to read, Sawa is a pariah. She is crass toward everyone and is genuinely unlikable. Her unstable mannerisms are clear signs of someone dealing with mental health issues. These issues are more or less seen as someone just acting out. There are sentiments to be h...

 Before I get into my thoughts on Akane-banashi from Yuuki Suenaga (Story) and Takamasa Moue (Art). I would like to note that this is my first experience with Rakugo. I haven't seen or heard of it prior to reading through the current amount of chapters from this story. So don't expect an analysis into the medium itself. I know just as much as any newcomer. With that out of the way, I am going to delve into some light spoilers in order to give a proper take on Akane-banashi.  My knowledge on Akane-banashi prior to reading it, was through testimonies from people that have read the manga and random internet comments recommending it. I assumed that I was in for a treat without realizing that those recommending it weren't going hard enough. Akane-banashi is the real deal. The characters and scene depiction are so well done that it makes me interested in Rakugo itself. As far as the current titles in Shonen Jump go, Akane-banashi sits near the top of the list for me. I think that...

 Monkey D. Luffy, captain of the Straw Hats, is not only going to become the King of the Pirates but he is the King of the Latinx in Japanese media. While the world of One Piece is set in a fictional place, Oda Eiichiro has stated in a trivia section for the one of the volumes of One Piece that Luffy would be from Brazil in real life. Calling Luffy Latino might be a stretch to some, but it's enough for the community to claim him. We gotta take what we can get as Japanese media does not seem to feature many Latinx characters. Regardless, I decided to make this ode to Luffy because what better time to gas him than during Hispanic Heritage Month when I also get to be special. There are many things to really like about Luffy throughout the series as his simpleness allows him to be extremely genuine to others. A person like Luffy can walk up to Trafalgar Law who is very stern and serious in demeanor and be like, "Sup Traffy." A thing like this will ultimately annoy Law, yet Lu...

 Our Dreams at Dusk: Shimanami Tasogare by Kamatani Yuhki follows high schooler, Kaname Tasuku in his struggles with sexual orientation and ultimately learning to find himself. In that journey of self-discovery, the thing that I enjoyed quite a bit that can be lost in heterosexual circles of media is that imperfect, messy character. The chaos that comes with not only being a high schooler, but one that is wrapped in confusion, delights as that journey goes from start-to-finish. The first interaction that we get with Tasuku in his classroom with the intrusive classmates is a very real and heartbreaking situation. It's one thing to be put on blast for something you do in leisure, like a hobby or sport, yet being outed about something that is done in private hits different. Being that young, you don't take the precautions that you would as an adult or even being open about your sexuality in general. Especially when that sexual orientation is not necessarily the social norm. The co...

 There are a plethora of comics and manga out in the world that hit on those key moments or dazzle the reader with spectacular art styles. Among all of these stories littered throughout, are people looking for that story that is not often told or amplified enough. Today I am going to talk about one of my favorites, Love Me for Who I Am (Fukukai na Boku no Subete wo in Japanese) by Konayama Kata. A story that follows Mogumo Ryuunosuke and their journey to be accepted as Non-Binary. As a warning to those that choose to read this manga, there are depictions of familial abuse, suicide attempts, verbal abuse, and harsh imagery that some may find stressful, anxiety inducing, or uneasy. If these types of topics make you uncomfortable then it would be best to read this series when you are in the right headspace because it can be heavily taxing. But I implore you to still find the time to read this story.  As Mogumo seeks to find acceptance from family and loved ones as a Non-Binary pe...

 With the recent reveal of Luffy's Devil Fruit Awakening being the Sun God Nika, this now opens up the Mythical Zoan category for more human models. As far as we knew before this, there was only one Human-Human Fruit. This got me thinking that other Devil Fruits, when awakened, can also show their true nature like the Gum-Gum Fruit. There are two fruits that I think could hold similar secrets, the Rumble-Rumble Fruit and Shadow-Shadow Fruit. The Rumble-Rumble Fruit, owned by Enel, has the potential to awaken into the Japanese Thunder God Raijin. The biggest thing to note from this are the drums that are already incorporated into the characters design. Not to mention Enel also thinks and has played god himself in the series. The transition for Enel to return to the series more powerful than ever and challenge Luffy once again seems to have some groundwork already laid down. While the Rumble-Rumble Fruit has visible Godly connections, the Shadow-Shadow Fruit may need a tad more convi...

 One Piece has been going on for almost Twenty-Five years at this point. And one of the biggest unanswered questions has been where the treasure is located. Now, current readers and anime watchers may come to the conclusion that the One Piece is located on the island of Laugh Tale. As described during the Roger Pirates backstory in the Wano Country Arc. But the one thing that sticks out to me is the name of the island, Laugh Tale. The mysterious treasure is not shown and the only thing that we have from the island's exploration is everyone laughing at the end of the journey. This could be seen as an emotional response to the end of a long journey with a soon-to-be dead and beloved captain, yet I feel like there is more to it. The reason I believe as to why the Roger Pirates are laughing, is that the One Piece is actually on the Moon. As ridiculous as this theory is, I feel there is some weight behind it. A key component to this idea are the Celestial Dragons (Tenryubito) who wear s...

Sorry about the late return to the world of One Piece , I am back to pass my knowledge onto the audience. Unfortunately, this is the last blog at this moment in time. I may decide to pick this back up in the future with a more spoiler heavy focus, but now it is time to talk about three important locations in the universe. With last week, there was a focus on the Yonko, Shichibukai, and Cipher Pol organization. Now, we look at the island known as the Sabaody Archipelago. Sabaody Archipelago The Sabaody Archipelago holds a strong significance across the One Piece world as being this sort of gate to the New World along the Grand Line. This island made up of groves of trees and bubbles attracts all types of consumers from pirates to the Marines to the Celestial Dragons themselves for various reasons. On this island many pirates never make it to the New World because of the increase of traffic from the Marines and World Government. So, there is a heavy warning amongst the m...

Welcome back humans, to week three of the the blog that keeps on giving. Last week we discussed the Celestial Dragons, Marines, and the Revolutionary. But this week brings out more pirate and World Government information. So, on deck is going to be the Yonko. Yonko In One Piece , the Yonko (Four Emperors) are the most powerful pirate captains and hold enopugh power to keep the Marines and World Governement at bay. They even garner enough power to be able to wage war against the Marines and World Government if they feel it is needed. The Yonko include Shanks of the Red Hair Pirates, Kaido of the Beast Pirates, Charlotte Linlin of the Big Mom Pirates, and Marshall D. Teach of the Blackbeard Pirates. Each Yonko could make a strong case for the strongest of the sea, but they avoid each other for the most part because that could lead to heavy casualties on both sides. One of the things that each Yonko shares is that they have all met Luffy in some capacity. Out of four, only Shanks likes...

Back again this week talking about the fantastic world of One Piece . If you missed last week, the talk was all about the Straw Hat Pirates and their impact on myself. But this week brings us to a few different groups and organizations that differ from the protagonists. The first group that I am going to cover are the Celestial Dragons or World Nobles. Celestial Dragons: To give some context, the Celestial Dragons are at the top of the food chain in the World Government in the One Piece universe. Essentially, whatever wish they have has to be granted because they are the descendants of the people who founded the World Government. Many of them can be described as disconnected, vile human-beings that have no respect for the people that they preside over as they wear special suits and bubbles on their heads so that they do not breathe the same air as the common people. While many people do not agree with their actions, there is nothing that can be done against them due to the fact ...